Mixing and dispensing apparatus for carbonated beverages



Nov. 17, 1959 F. WELTY' 2,913,003

MIXING AND DISPENSING APPARATUS FOR CARBONATED BEVERAGES Filed Nov. a, 1955 IN VENTOR FRANK WELTY I ATTO EY United States Patent 'i'ice MIXING AND DISPENSING APPARATUS FOR CARBONATED BEVERAGES Frank Welty, Youngstown, Ohio, assignor to Carbonic Dispenser, Inc., Qanfield, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application November 3, 1955, Serial No. 544,725

7 Claims. (Cl. 137-595) This invention relates to faucets and valves and more particularly to means for accurately and effectively controlling the dispensing and mixing of carbonated liquids under high pressure.

An object of this invention is to provide a dispensing valve for mixing a liquid syrup with carbonated water under high pressures and dispensing the same in a suitable glass or container that is ready for selling and consumption.

A more specific object of this invention is to provide a mixing and dispensing valve of the type wherein a novel arrangement of parts is utilized to form a compact unit of utmost simplicity, yet which is operative to accurately control the mixing and flow of carbonated beverages with a minimum loss of carbonation.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel arrangement of component parts that facilitates assembly and disassembly for inspection and cleaning. It should be readily understood that the syrup and mixed carbonated beverages are sticky in nature and as a result may necessitate cleaning of the faucet. The valve is accordingly constructed so that an attendant, not particularly skilled in the art of mechanics, can quickly and easily clean the apparatus without the use of special tools or equipment.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a dispensing valve that is composed of parts that may be readily manufactured with standard machinery and is of utcommonly known as drip proof whereby when the valve is in the closed position it is insured there will be no unsanitary and wasteful drippings.

A further object of the invention is the disclosure of a new and novel carbonator flow control assembly that is used in conjunction and combination with the dispensing faucet. It should be understood that the carbonated water -is under relatively high pressures and that if care is not exercised in dispensing operations the sudden transition to atmospheric pressures will agitate the carbonated liquid to such an extent that the carbonization will be lost resulting in an inferior drink or beverage.

A more detailed object of the invention is the provision for automatic washing of the syrup outlets by the carbonated water after each dispensing operation to preclude the possibility of any syrup sticking to the outside of the faucet causing an unsightly and an unsanitary condition. This is a desirable feature since most syrups have a high viscosity and contain ingredients such as sugar that tend to stick and adhere to anything they come i eas est W It ba a ng dtha w th st c y s b- 2,913,003 I Patented 17, 1959 stances the, problem of proper sanitation, especially in foodstuffs, is of paramount importance and in many in stances'is regulated by state and city ordinances.

The improved faucet is also constructed in such a way that close tolerances are avoided thus facilitating manufacture and assembly; The end result of this construction is an improved dispensing valve at a much lower cost. This is accomplished by the use of a plurality of O-rings to provide the seals and wearing surfaces for opening and closing the paths in the valve casing to permit the mixing and dispensing of the carbonated beverages. The arrangement of the, O-rings is such that the valve is blow-off free and it is almost impossible for the faucet to accidentally become open or stuck in the open position.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon consideration of the full detailed specification and accompanying drawing wherein is disclosed a certain preferred embodiment of the invention.

' In thedrawing:

Figure 1 is a side sectional view of the faucet and carbonator control assembly in the dispensing position constructed in accordance with the teachings of my invention; I

Figure 2 is a side sectional view of the dispensing faucet in the closed position;

Figure 3 is a plan sectional view taken along the section line.IIIIII of Figure l; and a I Figure 4 is a side sectional view of an alternative arrangement of the dispensingvalve for dispensing premixed carbonated beverages.

Referring now to the drawing and initially to Figure 1 thereof the'numeral 10 designates a tubular casing'or body member that has an axial aperture 11 therein to receive the elongated valve member 12 and certain other parts appurtenant thereto. A transverse opening or inlet port 13 is also provided and is adapted to communicate with the axial aperture 12 for the inlet of carbonated water through a flow control assembly indicated generally by the numeral 14 Which will be hereinafter more fully disclosed.

Attached to the casing 10 by means of a plurality of axially extending rods 15 are top and bottom cover members 16 and 17. The upper body member 16 is also apertured and is adapted to receive a valve member 18. On one side of the upper casing 16 has an enlarged opening 19 that allows an operating lever 20 to protrude through the casing as shown in the drawing. The lever 20 is right angular in shape with one leg being much shorter than the other and having a cam portion 21 formed thereon adapted to cooperate with the valve stem 18. The lever 20 is pivotally mounted by a rod or some other means at 22 to provide, in effect, a bellcrank and the longer leg thereof is threaded at 23 to receive the handle or knob 24 which facilitates manipulation of the lever 20.

The bottom cover member 17 is tapered and pointed on the lower side and is separated from the casing 10 by an annular sleeve 25 thereby defining a chamber 26 whose function will become more apparent upon consideration of the operation of the faucet. The body member 17 has an axial aperture that is aligned with the bore 11 and receives the valve member 12. A transversely extending opening or inlet port 28 communicates with this aperture and is adapted to be connected by suitable means, not shown, to a source of syrup for delivering the same to the faucet.

A plurality of spaced through-bores 29 are tapped through the bottom cover member 17 and communicate with the chamber 26 as indicated in Figure 3 of the r 'w na- Ih ma ts. m mbe .12 .s sads subs ant lly opening for the lever 20. acts directly downwardly on the gaskets 30 to firmly seat the entire length of the dispensing valve and is circumscribed at spaced points along its axis with gaskets 30 and O-rings 31 which are made of some resilient material, rubberor polyethylene for example, and form the actual valving and sealing means, respectively, adaptedto cooperate with various circular sealing and valving lands provided in the dispensing faucet.

As indicated in previous discussion, the problem of transferring the carbonated water from the high pressure reservoir to atmospheric pressure of the dispensing valve is accomplished by the flow control assembly 14. This consists of the main housing member 32 which has a tapered bore in which the cooperating tapered plug 33 is adapted to be moved as desired so that a small opening casing as shown in Figure l. The larger fitting 35 is bored throughout its length and contains a plunger member 36 that is joined to the tapered plug 33 on one end and its other end is threadably received in the fitting 35. A cap 36' is provided to cover the protruding thread portion of the plunger 36 thereby providing protection from damage and allowing easy access for adjustment.

The fitting 35 also mounts an inlet connection 37 through which the carbonated water under high pressure enters the carbonator control assembly.

The carbonator control assembly 14 also serves to support and hold the dispensing and mixing valve in the manner desired so that other supports are unnecessary. To accomplish this the main housing 32 is threaded on its outer surface about halfway along its length so that the same may be mounted in a supporting wall 38. It will be understood that the wall 38 might be the front portion of a cooling tank that surrounds the carbonator and syrup containers which are not shown. It should be understood that appropriate conduit means, not shown, are provided for bringing the syrup to the opening 28 in the lower casing member 17 and to the carbonated water inlet connection 37. I

In the contemplated operation of the dispensing valve the lever is initially in the upright position as indicated in Figure 2 with the resilient gaskets having enlarged portions on one end thereof sealing the carbonated water from the chamber 26 and the syrup from the large outlet opening in the bottom of the pointed cover member 17. The valve member 12 is in the most downward position and the O-rings 31 prohibit the carbonated water and syrup from mixing or escaping upward through the It is noted that the pressure them in blocking position and the gaskets cooperate with the sides of the axial apertures to close the possible passages for'the carbonated water and syrup. The arrangement is such that the gaskets cannot be blown out of :closing contact with the aperture by increased pressures but in such a case are more firmly seated and held in position. The. pressure is always tending to close the valve or faucet so that the valve will not become stuck in the open position and very little efiort-is needed to close the valve.

To open the faucet and'mix the carbonated water and syrup and dispense the drink the operator pulls the handle 24 down to the position shown in Figure 1 so that the valve 12 is lifted by the cam 21 to the position shown. This opens the passages for the carbonated water and syrup. The carbonated water flows into the chamber 26 via the control assembly 14, the transverse aperture 13, and the bore 11, and then out the plurality of throughbores 29. At the same time the syrup enters through the aperture 28 and flows through the opening in the bottom of the casing 17. With both the syrup and the carbonated water" fiowing into a se'rving container the beverage is mixed as desired. It should be noted that difierent drinks require different proportions of carbonated water and syrup and the size of the discharge opening can be regulated by employing some type of stops or drilling different sized holes during construction. When the container or glass is full the handle is allowed to return to its original position thus blocking the passageways and stopping the flow of syrup and. carbonated water.

In order to combat the problem of the pressure reduction of the carbonated beverage, the control unit is provided with a tapered plug 33 that loosely fits in the tapered housing 32. and is adjustable to open or close the opening for the carbonated water. In accordance with the principles disclosed in the related Patent No. 2,331,- 527 issued to Raymond D. Welty and myself and which is assigned to the assignee of the present invention, there is provided a slight clearance between the inner wall of the housing 32 and the periphery of the plug 33 through which the fluid must pass to be discharged. This clearance is in the order of 0.010 to 0.012 of an inch and is operative to substantially reduce the fluid pressure to atmospheric pressure as is required for effective operations.

The large chamber 26 is provided to further reduce the agitation and churning of the carbonated water when it has reached low pressures as undue turbulence at these pressures results in high loss of the carbon dioxide contained in the liquid. The chamber 26 also serves another and very important function in that it is full by the time the container is filled and when the handle is raised to disconnect the sources from the outlet passageways the water in the chamber 26 will flow through the throughbores 29 after the flow of syrup has ceased and due to the tapered end of the bottom casing 17 will clean any excess syrup from the end of the syrup discharge opening. This automatic rinsing action disposes of any syrup that has collected about the discharge openings and insures a sanitary and clean dispensing faucet.

One of the primary objects of this invention is to pro- Vide a dispensing apparatus that can be easily and completely disassembled, cleaned, and assembled by an attendant who is not necessarily familiar with the art and without the help of special tools or knowledge of mechanics. To this end the entire apparatus is held together by a plurality of longitudinally extending rods 15 which run the complete length of the dispensing unit. In the contemplated structure the bottom and top covers 17 and 16 are tapped to receive the ends of the rods 15 in order that they do not protrude for syrup to lodge on, etc. All that is needed is for the attendant to remove the plurality of rods 15 and the entire assembly will fall apart for inspection and cleaning. Since the housing is in four main parts, casing 10, top and bottom cover members 16 and 17 and sleeve 25 there are no long bores to clean and the valve member 12 may be expediently removed. The process of assembly is also one of comparative ease as when the various parts are positioned the rods 15 are inserted and tightened to form the assembled dispensing valve.

In construction of the faucet the parts may be readily made on conventional machines at very high rates of production since they are of the utmost simplicity of design. The use of resilient gaskets and O-rings to form the valving and sealing means allows relatively large tolerances in manufacture, and since these parts receive all the wear, are the only ones that need be replaced or will be worn out. It is obviously much less expensive to replace a small O-ring or gasket than a corresponding bulky metal fixture.

Figure 4 in the drawing shows an alternative arrangement for the dispensing of pre-mixed carbonated beverages where there is no need for separate inlet and outlet openings and in fact only one such pair is needed. In order not to unnecessarily burden the application the same reference numerals are applied to like parts of the two disclosed species. Since there is no need for the bottom inlet and outlet'ports the casing member 17 has been removed and the valve member 12 replaced with a shorter member designated by the numeral 39 which has only half the effective valving length as the valve member 12. The bottom cover 17 is replaced with a tapered funnel-like member 40 which is hollow and when the dispensing valve is energized the liquid fiows out through opening in the bottom of the member 40 into any suitable glass or container.

As has been noted throughout the disclosure, the dispensing valve of my invention has been constructed with a high degree of versatility. As it will be understood, there are many types of dispensing faucets which are in demand to suit the various requirements of taverns and soda fountains. For example an establishment which realizes a fairly constant demand upon its fountain equipment as compared to an establishment that caters to a rush-hour trade where the peak demand is very high for a short period of time. Yet another type of faucet in use today is the remotely controlled type for automatic dispensing machines and the like. The dispensing faucets disclosed herein can very easily be modified to a particular installation as taught in the patent issued to Raymond D. Welty and myself, No. 2,652,856.

It is therefore readily seen that my improved dispensing faucet may be utilized in many different types of installations with small changes but that the essential construction and parts are interchangeable which reduces manufacturing costs.

It should thus be apparent that I have accomplished the objects initially set forth by providing an improved dispensing faucet apparatus for accurately controlling and mixing carbonated water and syrup.

I have provided a dispensing faucet that may be easily constructed and assembled from parts that require no special manufacturing skill or machines and yet is of simple and pleasing design. In accordance with this invention the valving and sealing means are formed by resilient gaskets and O-rings thus allowing large tolerances and ease of replacement of the worn gaskets. As the dispensing valve is primarily intended for use with carbonated beverages, sanitation is of the utmost importance, and I have provided a faucet that washes away most of the excess and collected syrup from the outlet ports by means of a chamber and the tapered construction of the bottom cover. The valve may also be easily cleaned and inspected by removing the rods which hold the apparatus together by anyone attending the fountain installation without great mechanical skill or knowledge of the art.

To insure proper carbonation I have taught the use of a carbonator control assembly that is used in conjunction with my new and improved faucet. This apparatus is operative to convey the carbonated water under high pressure to atmospheric pressure with a minimum loss of carbonation.

The dispensing valve is very versatile and may be used in many different installations requiring other methods of operation with a minority of changes. I have shown in particular how the mixing valve may be adapted to dispense pre-mixed carbonated beverages.

It should be understood, however, that the specific embodiments disclosed herein are intended to be illustrative only and many changes may be made therein without departing from the clear teachings of my invention. Reference should therefore be made to the following appended claims in determining the full scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A mixing and dispensing faucet for beverages comprising a pair of aligned but spaced casing sections each.

having a principal bore, a cylindrical sealing land, a cylindrical valving land spaced from said sealing land, an inlet port communicating with said bore between said lands, an outlet opening communicating with said first mentioned bore, andsaid valving land being disposed between said outlet opening and said inlet port; a sleeve intermediate said casing sections to provide a chamber, one of said casing sections having a plurality of longitudinal throughbores positioned radially outward of said first mentioned bore therein to provide outlets for said chamber, said outlet opening in the other of said casing sections communicating with said chamber, a plurality of longitudinally extending rods positioned radially outwardly of said first mentioned bores and housed principally within the general mass of said sections and sleeve to clamp these parts together, a valve member slidable in said first mentioned bores of said casing sections and mounting a resilient sealing ring in each of said sealing lands and a resilient valving ring in each of said valving lands for cooperation therewith, and means to reciprocate said valve member.

2. A mixing and dispensing faucet for beverages comprising a pair of aligned but spaced casing sections each having a principal bore, a cylindrical sealing land, a cylindrical valving land spaced from said sealing land, an inlet port communicating with said bore in the section between said lands, an outlet opening communicating with said first mentioned bore, and said valving land being disposed between said outlet opening and said inlet port; a sleeve intermediate said casing sections to provide a chamber, one of said casing sections having a plurality of throughbores positioned radially outward of said first mentioned bore therein to provide outlet means for said chamber, said outlet opening in the other of said casing sections communicating with said chamber, a valve member slidable in said first mentioned bores of said casing sections and mounting a resilient sealing ring in each of said sealing lands and a resilient valving ring in each of said valving lands for cooperation therewith, a top cover casing member aligned with said tubular sections and adapted to receive the protruding end of said valve member, a bell-crank lever pivotally mounted in said top cover casing member and having a portion thereon operative to reciprocate said valve member upon pivotal movement, and a plurality of longitudinally extending rods positioned radially outwardly of said first mentioned bores and housed principally within the mass of said casing sections, sleeve, and top cover casing member to clamp these parts together.

3. A mixing and dispensing faucet for beverages comprising a pair of aligned but spaced casing sections each having a principal bore, a cylindrical sealing land, a cylindrical valving land spaced from said sealing land, an inlet port communicating with said bore in the section between said sealing and said valving lands, an outlet opening communicating with said first mentioned bore, and said valving land being disposed between said outlet opening and said inlet port; a sleeve intermediate said sections providing a chamber, one of said casing sections having a plurality of through-bores positioned radially outward of said first mentioned bore therein providing outlets for said chamber said outlet opening in the other of said casing sections communicating with said chamber, a valve member slidable in said first mentioned bores of said casing sections mounting a resilient sealing ring in each of said sealing lands and a resilient valving ring in each of said valving lands adapted to cooperate therewith, and means to reciprocate said valve member.

4. A mixing and dispensing faucet for beverages comprising a pair of aligned but spaced casing sections each having a principal bore, a cylindrical sealing land, a cylindrical valving land spaced from said sealing land, an

' inlet port communicating with said bore in the sections mentioned bore therein to provide outlet means for said chamber said outlet opening in the other of said casing sections communicating with said chamber, conduit means for supplying fluid to said inlet port in the other of said casing sections, said conduit means including an elongated restricted passageway closely adjacent said inlet port, a valve member slidable in said first mentioned bores and mounting a resilient sealing ring in each of said sealing lands and a resilient valving ring in each of said valving lands for cooperation therewith, a top cover casing member aligned with said casing sections and adapted to receive the protruding end of said valve member, and a pivotally mounted bell-crank lever having a portion thereon operative to reciprocate said valve member upon pivotal movement of said lever.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4 further characterized in that said conduit means comprises an elongated housing, a tapered plug in said housing thereby providing said restricted passageway, means to rigidly attach said elongated housing to said faucet in said inlet port in said other of said casing sections, and means to support said housing intermediate its ends thereby supporting said faucet outwardly and in spaced relation to said means to support.

6. A beverage dispensing faucet comprising a casing section having a principal bore, a cylindrical sealing land, a cylindrical valving land, an inlet communicating with said bore between said lands, an outlet opening communicating with said bore, said valving land being disposed between said outlet opening and said inlet, a valve member longitudinally slidable in said bore and mounting a resilient sealing ring in said sealing land and a resilient valving ring in said valving land for cooperation therewith, means to reciprocate said valve member, said valve member being tapered at its lower end, and the bottom of said faucet being tapered whereby when said valve member is in one position a continuous tapered sur- 8 face comprising said lower end of said valve member and said bottom of said faucet is formed for directing the flow of the beverage dispensed.

7. A beverage dispensing faucet comprising a casing section having a principal bore, a cylindrical sealing land, a-iiylindrical valving land, an inlet communicating with said bore in said casing section between said lands, an outlet opening communicating with said bore, said valving land being disposed betweenv said inlet and outlet opening, a valve member longitudinally slidable in said bore and mounting a resilient sealing ring in said sealing land and a resilient valving ring in said valving land for cooperation therewith, means to move said valve member, said resilient valving ring having a solid generally circular ilange portion on one end, said valve member having a tapered end portion adjacent said flange of said resilient valving ring, said casing section having a face slanting towards said valve member whereby when said member is in one position a continuous tapered surface is formed, said casing section having a plurality of through-bores positioned radially outward of said first mentioned bore, a chamber closely adjacent said casing section, inlet means for supplying fluid tosaid chamber, said throughbores providing outlet means for said chamber, and said continuous tapered surface directing the flow of and cansing unagitated mixing of the fluids dispensed through said principal bore and said through-bores.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,179,165 Sifkovitz Nov. 7, 1939 2,509,880 Pelton May 30, 1950 2,633,150 Lewis Mar. 31, 1953 2,702,051 Welty et al. Feb. 15, 1955 2,747,611 Hewitt May 29, 1956 

